Donegal townlively.com
MAY 24, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIV • NO 15
Marking Memorial Day in Maytown BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Mount Joy Memorial Day Committee members (from left) Denny Brandt, Josh Deering, Brenda Kready, John Coleman Sr. and Chris Brandt invite the public to the Memorial Day parade on May 27.
Honoring the fallen ou can tell something is happening in Mount Joy over Memorial Day weekend when people start putting chairs out on the curb. “People put their chairs out the night before the Memorial Day parade,” said Denny Brandt, who is leading a group of volunteers who are organizing the parade. “People love to come out for the parade.” Each year, the parade draws between 3,000 and 5,000 people, Brandt said. This year’s parade will be held on Saturday, May 27, beginning at 2 p.m. The route will travel from
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Angle Street down Main Street to Barbara Street. The theme of this year’s parade is “In memory of many, in honor of all.” The grand marshal will be George Leyh. He is a retired high school history teacher and member of the U.S. Army who served in Vietnam and Desert Storm, among other conflicts. Denny noted that the Mount Joy Memorial Day parade is a big undertaking. “To my knowledge, it’s the biggest Memorial Day parade in the county,” he said. “We have 70 to 80 participants and nine or 10 bands. We will have Cylo, the Barnstormers’ mascot. We have local businesses, organizations and groups who are
participating.” Participating bands include Big Boy Brass, the Kracker Beez and the Donegal Alumni Band. The major sponsor of the parade is Houseal Plumbing. Banner sponsors are SM Johns & Son Construction, Sheetz Funeral Home, Hershey Heating & Air Conditioning, Whitmoyer, Denny Brandt - Berkshire Hathaway, Keystone Lawn Company and Hearing and Ear Care Center. The parade is supported locally by the Rotary Club of Mount Joy and the Mount Joy Area Chamber of Commerce. Additional members of the parade committee are Chris Brandt, John Coleman, Josh Deering and Brenda Kready.
The Mount Joy Memorial Day parade dates back to the 1880s, when the first parade included a band, Civil War soldiers and boys and girls from a local orphan school. Denny noted that programs will be available for the parade, and donations will be accepted to help fund future parades. He encourages everyone to come out for the parade, adding, “It’s a fun family time for the community.” In the case of inclement weather, the parade will be canceled. A decision will be made by 10 a.m. on the day of the parade. For more information, follow “Mount Joy Memorial Day Parade” on Facebook.
See Maytown pg 3
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BY CATHY MOLITORIS
On Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, Maytown will honor and remember veterans with several events. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., a ceremony will be held in Maytown Square, with a prayer led by the Rev. Dr. Ronnette Comfort-Butler from Maytown Reformed United Church of Christ. Members of the Bainbridge Band will provide music, and wreaths will be placed on the veterans’ markers in the square. The names of Maytown veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice will be read. The grand marshal, Jeff Armold, and the Poppy Princess, Isabella Love, will be on hand for the square ceremony, which will end with the playing of taps. Armold served in the U.S. Air Force from 1972 to 1977. Isabella, the daughter of Dan and Janet Love, is a ninth-grader at Donegal High School. Following the ceremony, people are invited to participate in the decorating of graves of local veterans with flowers provided by Floral Designs of Mount Joy. Anyone who wants to help should meet at the Maytown Reformed United Church of Christ, 11 E. Elizabeth St., immediately following the ceremony in the square. After decorating graves there, the group will walk to the Lutheran and Union cemeteries at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 11 N. Queen St., to decorate graves of veterans at that site.